Aro's Avenging Angel
by kaceyktn
Summary: Aro never got past his resentment for Carlisle Cullen and his family. Carlisle has what Aro wants: Powerful Vampires, namely Bella, Alice and Edward. After the confrontation ten years ago, Aro devised a plan to get even and to take what he wants from Carl
1. I am Angel

**Aro's Avenging Angel**

Chapter One

My entire life has been spent behind these four walls, and I hate it. My father refuses to allow me to leave the castle. He says he fears retribution from others of his kind, and only keeps me here for my safety. He assures me, or tries to, that he is doing this this for me because he wants to make sure I'm protected at all times.His fear for my safety is like a prison, and I feel suffocated by his constant hovering and protection. I have all that a princess could ask for—and more—materialistically or everything a girl dreams of is mine, except freedom to choose how she— how I—want to live. My mother refuses to sympathize with me either. She will never go against father's wishes no matter how much I beg, which I don't. I know better than to. I know her feelings are set in stone about the matter, so what would be the point anyway? He rules our lives with an iron fist much as he does the entire vampire world.

No one argues with the great Aro, ruler of Volterra, and self-proclaimed king of vampires. My mother, his wife, Sulpicia, isn't really my mother. No, my mother, Sara Evans died during childbirth. She was a poor human caught up in web of lies based on Aro's desire to have something his enemies have—a hybrid child. She was nothing more than a pawn for Aro to use and discard as he saw fit. Thanks to my gift, I know all about her. I can read auras and also have the ability to dreamscape. I can read people's auras—it allows me to see someone's emotions past and present. I also have the ability to dreamscape, which allows me to see past events in my dreams; where a person has been, who they loved, really anything I pick up from their aura is open to me. The only memories I have of my mother are from dreams I have of her. Dreams influenced from a piece of jewelry Marcus gave me.

Father learned all about hybrids from Joham after he had an altercation with the Cullen coven in Forks, Washington a little over ten years ago. He tracked him down with Demetri's help and brought him to the castle. He taught my Father all the tricks of the trade, as I like to call it. He showed him how to lure a woman in, bed her, and ultimately let her die having his child. My father is a quick study, so I was born rather rapidly. Then, Father destroyed Joham before anyone else outside of Volterra learned about me, especially, the Cullen family. My father does not want them to be aware of me … not yet, anyway.

I know all about the Cullen coven and my father's intense hatred for them, especially, his disdain for their leader, Carlisle Cullen. Once, a long time ago, my father considered him one of his best friends, or as close to friendship as my father is capable. He admired Carlisle and his unorthodox beliefs about how human life shouldn't be wasted. My father thinks it's funny that Carlisle doesn't believe in killing humans just because we can. Carlisle even lived here in the castle as a trusted adviser to my father and uncles, but now he's my father's enemy. Father has ill will toward Carlisle because he dared to defy him, and stood up for his family when they were threatened by the great Volterra leader. My father has spent the last ten years grooming me to hate them. Only … I can't feel hatred for them because they haven't done anything to earn my animosity. My father's aversion for them is nothing more than his inability to possess them.

Aro raised me with the help of my mother and uncles, Caius and Marcus. They are as different as any two people can be. My Uncle Marcus, poor soul, is an honorable man and wants nothing more than to be reunited with his love Didyme in the hereafter. Whatever that may hold for him, he's willing to accept anything to be with her forever. The love he has for her astounds me, and I want it for myself someday with someone as special as Didyme is for Uncle Marcus. I keep promising myself that someday I will have the kind of love I want, I deserve, but only if I can escape from here. Marcus loves me. I can see it radiate from his aura, but that love comes with a steep price for him because looking at me reminds of her. Didyme, his lost love, his mate.

My father killed her many years ago; though very few know this fact. I overheard my father talking to my mother one day about how much I resembled her, and how much joy and heartache it brings Marcus to look at me. When I heard my father talk about his sister, I felt his immense regret about her death and saw the change in his aura. A perk of my ever expanding gift is I can see someone's aura and feel it, too.

He feels sorrow for his culpability in my aunt's death, even now, so many years later. It shocked me to learn how truly evil he can be to achieve what he wants. The day I found out about Aro's, Father's, part in her death to keep Marcus in Volterra, I knew then I would never be free to leave here. I would never be free to leave on my own, and unless Father deems it beneficial to him, this castle will forever remain my prison.

Aro has never shown any true emotion toward me, not love or pride or anything else a child receives from a caring parent. Other than his desire to be the supreme ruler of the entire supernatural world, I don't think my dad possesses any other true emotion in his body. His love for my mother, Sulpicia, in my view, isn't even as strong as his thirst for supremacy. The death of his sister at his hands may fill him with remorse and sorrow, but not to the degree that it should. I'm sure guilt is a foreign emotion for him. He does tell me he loves me, but I know what he loves is what he believes I can do for him and his regime, not me, the person. I was only two human years old when I found about my father's duplicity. It's a hard life lesson to handle for anyone, let alone an emotional, young girl, but it helped open my eyes to his true nature.

My father doesn't know about my knowledge of the truth about Didyme's death. When someone expresses grief, anger, love, or whatever emotion it may be, I feel it strongly, and I can also turn it off. I'm the opposite of an empath. I can turn off my emotions and others too, if I choose to. Another part of my gift is retro-cognition, but the downside of it is I'm not useful like Alice Cullen, who can see the future; I can only see the past. Usually emotions will trigger a dream or something similar to a premonition for me. It is called dreamscaping, and over the years I've been able to learn how to fine tune it. I used to be able to only access it while I slept, but now I can go into a trance like state and see anybody's past.

I garner enough knowledge from someone when I meet them to know if the feelings they express are real or fake because of their auras. After I get the tenor of someone's emotions, their past unfolds for me like a puzzle. There is no way for someone to lie to me about their prior actions or feelings. The good thing about my gift is I know the truth about my family, their pasts, and all the lies Volterra was built on during the millennia they've existed. I've seen everyone's past, and it helps me to understand what drives them in the present.

Marcus's plight of love lost was one of the hardest emotions for me to learn to deal with, so I turn his pain off for him and myself if it gets too difficult for either of us to bear. I only do it for a short time because if someone's emotions are off for too long they run the risk of becoming a feral monster. When he thinks about my aunt Didyme his grief is devastating, but his love for her is so exhilarating, at the same time. I can't turn one off without the other. I would never want him to lose his love for her, so I try to help him in short bursts of time.

I want him to live a happy life, and he does, as long as he doesn't feel his grief for her constantly. As for my father, I let him suffer from the guilt. He doesn't know the full scope of my ability because I keep it hidden with false memories when he reads my mind. A definite upside to my gift is my ability to hide the truth from Father.

My power is unique and very rare. My father theorizes I obtained a combination of his and my biological mother's abilities. My mother, had she been turned, would've been an empath, most likely. My father, a mind reader, was thrilled when I was born, and he was even more excited after he discovered I have a gift. My father doesn't know the full scope of my gift, but neither do I, not really. I continued to learn new facets of it as I mature. Now, I am fully matured, and I continue to try and master my talent. My father doesn't know I've manipulated thoughts, though. But I have not done it very often, and never for very long. I manage to hide things I don't want known. Aro is even unable to see my true thoughts if I hide them. I plant false ones in their place. In his mind, I am a good and faithful daughter. I am supposed to be loyal to Aro without question.

My uncle Caius isn't too happy with me, despite professing he is. He fears my father and will never directly oppose him, but I can feel his repulsion for me. He wishes I didn't exist. I shut off his loathing for me when I can—the last thing I want to do is feel my Uncle's hatred toward me."

Marcus is the only one who truly loves me for me, not for my gift or as a pawn to be used in revenge plot. Aro and Sulpicia, both, believe they love me— or at least their version of what love is, but their greed and self-interest rules them too much to understand real love and happiness. My mother, or lack thereof, allowed Aro to experiment with a human, but she didn't want to. I am the constant reminder of his infidelity and it hinders her ability to really feel true affection for me. I try to be a better person because if I don't, I stand to become just like them. I want to be more, something better than some mindless killer without any regard for others.

My humanity I think is a result of seeing that there is more to life than what I've been exposed to. As I learned how to channel emotions and read people's auras, I also learned how to read between the lines to the underlying reason for an emotion.

I developed my ability to read people's emotions and see the thought process behind it. Knowing the truth, the reasoning for someone's pain, or lie, or whatever the situation may be, can be tricky, but I've mastered it. My father has been grooming me for these last ten years to become proficient in shutting off more than one person's emotions at a time; more than the two at a time he knows I can do. He wants me to shut off the Cullens emotions simultaneously, so Chelsea can bind those he wants to him and destroy the others. But I don't want to be Aro's Avenging Angel. I just want to be Angel Volturi.


	2. In the Garden

**Aro's Avenging Angel**

Chapter Two

"Angel, where are you? Your father needs to speak to you, right away."

The sound of Jane's voice first thing in the morning is enough to get anyone riled up. Especially, since she knows exactly where I am, and just wants to aggravate me. I can't stand the little blonde troublemaker. She has a grudge against me and tries to push my buttons whenever she can. She thought Father had replaced her when he chose to experiment with a human to have a hybrid child. Other than me, this one person she despises as much—Renesmee Cullen. Oh, she hates the entire Cullen coven, especially Bella Swan. But Renesmee is the same as me, a hybrid, and my father's discovery of her led him to create me. She and I are different and unique among the world of vampires because we are the only hybrids, or at least the only ones my father knows of, with a gift. Jane can't hide her disgust for me no matter how hard she tries ; I can see her aura and feel it, too. It's tinged in several colors, representing her emotions where I am concerned: envy, jealousy, loathing, and pure unadulterated hatred.

I leave the garden area, my favorite place in the castle, well technically outside, and venture toward the throne room to see what my father wants from me. I am tempted to turn Jane's hatred for me off, but I don't. I won't. It makes me feel a little smug that she thinks Father has replaced her with me. I know the truth. Father hasn't. Jane is still Father's prize and will always be, unless he can manage to get someone he wants more as a guard member—Alice Cullen. Her jealousy will know no bounds then. Father dotes on me, but I know the truth behind his consideration.

"Yes, Father. What can I do for you today?"

Aro insists I call him Father, so I do without argument. Sometimes I feel like a trained puppy.

"Oh, my dearest Angel, thank you for coming so quickly. There is someone I would like for you to meet."

I know what my father means—there is someone he wants me to read to determine their past, their alliances, their friendships, and if they are loyal to the Volturi. Since I can sense auras, I have a front row seat to people's emotions, past and present. Not to mention what I don't see or feel from their auras, I can see in my dream-scape ability—only he isn't aware of that skill.

"I would be happy to, Father," I say calmly. In matters like this it makes no difference how I feel about it because if I defy him, I will be the one to pay the price for my insolence.

"My lovely child, you are a treasure to me. This particular person is very special, like you." His aura is blazing with color because he is lying. He doesn't think this person is very special at all.

"What would you like to know about her?"

"I would like to know where her true alliance lies. Are they with me or her father?"

Father could read someone's thoughts by simply touching them, every thought they've ever had, but someone can lie in their thoughts if they are skilled enough. Emotions are different. Someone's mind can be programmed, but their heart, their very aura, is hard to disguise.

"Have you read her mind, Father?"

"Yes, child, I have. I know what her mind says, but I want to know how she feels about her rulers."

"Okay, Father." I glance at the girl taking in her bedraggled appearance and can't help but to wonder why she is so disheveled. Her hair is lank and limp, and her clothing is dirty and torn; it is barely concealing her body. She looks like she just crawled out from underneath a rock. I can hear her heart beating rapidly, and the flush of her face tells me she is human. I look a little closer and see she is also vampire. She is a hybrid.

I give her small smile. I want to ease some of the tension I feel radiating from her. I hope by appearing friendly, she will relax. She doesn't, so I turn off her fear to allow her to cope with this situation for a brief moment. Without her fear, her anger is gone, too. I don't want to void her from all her emotions for too long. Because if I do, I may not be able to restart them, and she could become an unfeeling monster. It is always a crap shoot when you turn off someone's emotions. They become emotionless drones and that can make someone more dangerous than they may normally be.

The young girl lunges for me, and she drops in pain. I know right away Father must have instructed Jane to intervene if anything went wrong with my interrogation. I turn her emotions back on, and she is overcome with everything all at once; her fear and anger hit her full force. And now she also is feeling immense pain, courtesy of Jane. Watching the girl in so much pain bothers me.

"Father, please ask Jane to stop,"I ask, nicely. Jane glances at me with an acerbic look on her face, but I refuse to budge. "Please."

"Jane, I think that will be enough, for now," Father says, subtly.

I could read the hidden meaning behind his command. If the hybrid misbehaved again , she would pay for it, and Jane would be the instrument used to deliver her punishment. I tried again, hoping the young girl would be more open to speaking with me and answering my questions.

"My name is Angel Volturi, and you are in my father's home. His name is Aro, and the other two gentlemen sitting beside him are my uncles , Caius and Marcus." She bravely turns and faces the three rulers of Volterra with a hard glint in her eyes. She knows of them, whether it was by reputation or in person I'm not sure yet, and she cares for none of them. She particularly hates my father.

Her aura is black and red, which means she's furious and frightened. My father already knows her thoughts, and I'm not sure how he thinks I can help him know more. Sometimes I think he likes testing me and my ability, though he only knows a fraction of what I am capable of.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Serena, and I am the oldest daughter of Joham the vampire," she says, spitefully.

That name strikes a chord in me. Joham is the person who helped my father in his quest for a hybrid child. Once my father learned all he wanted to from him, he had Felix destroy him. Father didn't want to chance anyone discovering his foray into hybrid experimentation. I learned the truth from a dream I had as a child. The part of my ability that allows me to see the past was helpful in the discovery of learning about my origins of where and how I came to be. My gift has expanded some in the last while, and I am learning how to control all the changes.

Serena's life flashed before my eyes. The scenes from her birth until now all laid bare for me to see. I learned about her two other sisters , Maysun and Jennifer, and her experiences and feelings for each. Also, I can see her brother Nahuel, and the jealousy she has for him through my ability. Father already knew of them from Joham, so there is nothing new I can add with this information.

What he may not know is Serena is plotting to have his rule overthrown with help from two vampires from his past; Stefan and Vladimir. The Romanian coven had been eradicated by my father many years ago, and the only reason the two vampires were spared was because Father thought it was crueler to let them live than to destroy them. The downside of my talent, or at least I think it's a downside, is seeing all the horrific things my Father and the guards have done in the name of advancement. To me, they are acts of war, pure and simple.

"Serena, why are you plotting against my father?" I hate asking the question because I know I will be sealing a death sentence for her the minute Father hears.

Serena holds her head up defiantly and proudly and answers, "Why not? He killed my father, didn't he? Once my father was no longer useful to him, his life was forfeited."

I'm not sure if I should confirm or deny the allegation. No one has said a word, so I decide to be honest with her about his death. "Yes. Father did have Joham destroyed."

The pain in her eyes at my confirmation is heart-wrenching, or at least to me it is. "I am sorry for your loss, but retaliation isn't the answer. My father has to maintain order, and Joham broke the rules."

"Broke the rules?" she sneers. "I see how _he_ _follows the rules_ so diligently. Are you not his creation?"

"Yes, I am his daughter. I'm afraid your father set out to create a super race and brought about his demise because of it."

Her aura is a bright red now, and the black has completely faded away. "Super race? Really, you think that's what hybrids are? If it is against the rules, as you say, then explain why you were created?"

I can't answer her for in my heart I know she is right. Father wanted to use an excuse, any excuse, to explain away why Joham was destroyed. And blaming him for creating a race, especially since he did the same thing, is self-serving and ridiculous.

"I have heard enough from this girl. All I will say on this matter is I know Joham's goal was to create a hybrid strong enough to end my regime, and he had to be destroyed because of that threat. Not that it matters, but Angel is a product of love. My love for her human mother. My wife has forgiven my indiscretion and treats her as her own daughter."

The lies spewing from my father make me want to vomit. The only hybrid child in existence born out of love is Renesmee Cullen. This is just a lie perpetuated by him to justify his actions. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Felix, take care of that for me," Father says scathingly.

Before he makes contact to rip off her head, I turn off her emotions. I want her to die with some semblance of peace, and this is the only way I can do that. I empty her of any fear or pain she may feel and make her an empty shell , devoid of caring about even her own life.

My father and the others watch in glee as Felix rips Serena's head off of her shoulders, but unlike vampires her body and head don't look for one another due to her human side. When he lights her body on fire, I can smell the vampire stench and the smell of her human organs burning at the same time.

This isn't the first hybrid my father has destroyed. Joham, unknown to his offspring, created a protégé. He turned a distant relative, a renowned scientist, about hundred and twenty-five years ago to help him. The other man—vampire—was successful in creating three hybrids himself. My father tracked the vampire down and destroyed him. Also, one of his children was wiped out in the carnage. The other two, Francesca and Keegan, have remained hidden from Father and Demetri. I saw them clearly in a dream after I witnessed their father, Tomas, destroyed. I refuse to tell anyone about them.

The vampire had not committed any crimes, but my father found him guilty and passed judgment on him anyway. Death is always the sentence for anyone Father feels threatened by.

"Angel," my father says to gain my attention. "Tell me, how did you know about the plot against me?"

"I felt it radiate from her aura."I prepare my mind to fabricate a lie. My father has no idea about my ability to see someone's past through dream-scaping. He only knows about my ability to read and feel emotions, also that I can turn them on and off as I choose. "She hid it deep in her thoughts, so you would not hear it. But as you know, Father, no one can hide their aura from me."

"I see," he says. I can hear how he doubts me in his voice. I'm not surprised when he takes my hand to read my mind. I let him read what I want him to, but plant my false thoughts hide the other part of my ability. He seems satisfied with what he ascertains is the truth and kisses my face.

"Father, may I return to the garden now?"

"You may go, my sweet Angel."

I leave the room, thankful I am once more able to deceive Father. After I sit in the garden for a while, Marcus joins me.

"Hello, Uncle Marcus. It's been an eventful day, hasn't it?"

"Um, oh yes, it has."

I can see Marcus's aura glowing a soft mix of black and gray. I stretch myself out to feel the tenor of his emotions, and he is sad. I'm assuming Didyme is on his mind again. I thought about turning his emotions off for a little while to allow him some relief from his agony, but I don't. As much as his grief is staggering under its weight, his love is even more so. Right now, I am choosing to allow his love for her to envelop me like a warm embrace. After the scene in the throne room, I need to feel some kind of love—even if it's tinged with sadness. I feel guilty for the part I played in Serena's death and need something else to focus on.

"Uncle Marcus," I say attentively. I need something positive to cling to right now. Maybe if Marcus talks to me about Didyme, he will feel better. Maybe even cheer up some. I know I certainly will. I don't ask him too much about her because I hate stirring up Marcus's emotions too much.

"Yes, my child." He looks at my face, all scrunched up tight with tension. "What is it you want to know?"

"How do you know I want something?"I ask, ambivalent. My father's face crosses my mind ,and I feel even more stressed than before.

"Because, my sweet child, as much as you act like you are so different from your father, you are not. I can always tell when Aro wants to know something about me, or from me, and I can you as well."

Marcus's comparison of me to my father is upsetting. Does he really think I am anything like him? I'm not. I refuse to be. Marcus can see how disappointed I am about his analogy between Father and myself.

"Angel, as much as you are like him, you are also different from him, too. You have his temper for sure, but you also share his desire for knowledge. Your differences lie in how you go about achieving what you desire."

I feel somewhat better after he clarifies what he meant . "I just wanted to ask you about her."

"By her, you mean Didyme?"

"Yes," I whisper.

"Never be afraid to talk to me about the love of my life. She was wonderful, and you remind me of her so much," he says pleasantly.

He always sounds so blissful when he says her name, and I bask in the joy he exudes. "I guess what I wanted to know is how I am like her."

Marcus grins. "You are caring, loving, and you radiate with happiness, just as she did. She had a gift, you see, to make anyone she was around happy."

"I can't manipulate emotions, just feel them or turn them on or off." I say perplexed. As much as I love Uncle Marcus, and I do a lot, I know better than to tell him the complete truth about me. Father would read his mind and know I have been keeping secrets from him.

"I know, sweetheart. But it's more than having a gift that makes you special. You give me hope. Something I've not had in a long time," he says sweetly. He gives me a genuinely happy smile. Smiling is a very rare thing for him.

"Hope?"

"Hope, my dearest Angel. Do you know I am the person who named you?"

I did know, but no one else knows that. So I shake my head. I always wondered why he named me instead of my father, but I never asked. Seeing the past has disadvantages sometimes, and I knew, or thought I did, why.

"I named you Angel because you reminded me so much of her. I thought the heavens had opened up and sent her back to me. You reminded me of my Didyme, so much."

I am a little stunned by his reasoning."Heaven, Uncle Marcus?" I knew from my dreams of how happy I made him when I was born and how his emotions were centered on Didyme at my birth, but I never imagined my uncle believed in Heaven, or that I was a gift from there.

"Heaven is the only thing I could see when I looked into your face. I refuse to believe that my Didyme could be anywhere else but in Heaven. So that is why your name is Angel. And you are, too. My own personal angel."

His reasoning makes me feel humble and blessed at the same time. "Thank you, Uncle Marcus. I love my name. Now, I know how really special it is."

"You are most welcome, Angel."

We spend another couple of hours enjoying each other's company before I begin to tire out. I give Marcus a goodnight kiss and retire to my room. I'm glad, now, I left his emotions on. There are far too few times like the one we just shared for me, and I treasure each one more and more.

As I close my eyes, the last thing I see is Marcus and how cheery he was out in the garden with me. For once, I rest easy without dreaming.

Please read and review for me. I am also in need of a beta for this story, so any volunteers would be GREATLY appreciated.

AN: To clarify about Angel's gift−−-She is a hybrid that possesses the ability to see auras.

Auras are energy bodies, electromagnetic energy that contains loads of information about what is going on with people, animals, plants, and so forth at a deeper level. Your aura, for instance, includes information about how you communicate, your truthfulness, your emotions, the use of your mind, your sexiness, and how you deal with power. Temporary things show up: short-term problems, chronic complaints, and deep gifts of the soul. It's a huge reservoir of information that anyone can access. Aura reading means accessing that information.

Also, she can turn off someone's emotions as well as her own which can be dangerous if overused on someone or for too long of a time. A person can become void of feeling anything at all.

Her ability to dream-scape, which we will get into more in future chapters, is part of her ability. Dream-scaping is when a user can enter and manipulate the dreams of oneself and others, including modifying, suppressing, fabricating, influencing, manifesting, sensing, and observing dreams as well as nightmares, daydreams, etc. Sometimes the user can even unlock their hidden powers, or even commune with the dead. The user can produce and modify dreams, bestow nightmares or lucid dreaming, entrap people in REM, and promote spiritual/emotional healing within dreams. In some cases, the user's power extends to the real world, such as wounds inflicted on a sleeping victim and even pulling someone from the waking world into the dream world. The user can discern the past and past events using various means, usually entering a trance while seeing and hearing a noted past event, whether it be concerning themselves or of an unfamiliar lineage in a past occurrence. Occasionally spontaneous.

Aro only knows about her ability to read auras and nothing about her retro-cognition, and she isn't even fully aware of her dream-scaping ability.

Please read and review for me. I am currently in the process of having this story beta'd by PTB. I have made some updates to chapter one and two, so please reread if already read. If this is the first time you've checked my story out please feel free to let me know what you think.


	3. Prove your worth to me

**Aro's Avenging Angel**

Chapter Three

My father wastes no time in sending out a scout party to find Serena's cohorts and bring them to justice; at least what he deems justice—their death. I feel sad that I am to blame for the vampires' demise, but maybe they can avoid my father's lynch mob—not likely though.

I have noticed my ability progressing more and more every day. I practice manipulating people's auras, much like an empath can manipulate someone's emotions, instead of turning off someone's feelings, completely. My father enjoys my new endeavor and encourages it. I hate him knowing about it, but I was not the one to tell him. He found out about it from a nomad vampire, Jayson.

Jayson is a vampire that came to Volterra about a week ago. Once I heard about his talent, I tried to avoid him. But I failed to accomplish my goal. After my father ordered me to meet him a couple of minutes ago, Jayson knows all he needed to about me.

He has a unique gift and came here with a purpose in mind— to join the guard. Father agreed to let him, but only after he read his thoughts. My father found out he can sense gifts just like Eleazar of the Denali coven can. Since he is no longer part of the guard, my father is only too happy to find a replacement for his lost guardsmen with Jayson taking over Eleazar's old position. My father accepted him immediately into the fold, much to my displeasure. From what I've seen and heard about Jayson he will be another of my father's prized possessions. Up until a few moments ago, I have been able to remain away from Jayson. My dreams have shown me that he has a mysterious past. I was surprised that Father allowed him to join the guard in some ways, since he knows all about Jayson's connection to the Children of the Moon. Father knows his secrets, but Uncle Caius does not, nor does Uncle Marcus.

He tells my father all about how extensive my talent is, which makes me apprehensive. But the one thing he shares with Father, that pisses me off the most, is how I am able to manipulate my aura to lie to him. I hate Jayson for telling my secrets to Father and because he is enthralled with the she-devil, Jane. They are two regular peas in the pod, and watching them together rejoicing in my outing sickens me.

"Angel, why have you misled me for all these years about your talent?" My father is angry about my trickery. He has had a couple of days to digest the news about my betrayal―which is never a good thing― before he confronts me.

"I never really knew," I protest.

"Liar. You did, or at least suspected you could do more than what I knew about," he declares, exasperated with me.

"Truly, Father, I did not. I thought I could see people's past because of their emotions not their auras," I whimper. "I never understood my talent, not really."

My father smacks me across the face hard for lying, and I start crying. He knows how hard to hit me so I won't die from the injury. I will know my place, he insists, when he is done with me, and for the first time in my life, I fear death. If I turn off my fear, I could push Aro too far and cause him to kill me. Turning off his anger isn't even an option at this point. My mother is with him in my room and watching the altercation with amusement.

"Please, stop. I beg you, Father," I plead.

My father doesn't relent and keeps hitting me over and over. His anger is driving him past the breaking point. "You are my daughter, and you betrayed me. You lied to me over and over about everything."

His wrath is almost more than I can take, and I accept that he is going to kill me before he stops. Just when I think I can't bear another slap or another punch to my body, the door to my room opens up.

"That is enough, Aro. She will die if you continue beating her."

"Uncle Marcus," I whisper. I am thankful for his help but scared ,too, for him. Aro doesn't like anyone to try to undermine his authority.

"Brother, this in no concern of yours. She must be punished for deceiving me."

"It is my concern. She is my niece," Marcus says, forcefully. For the first time in his life, Aro is speechless.

"Now, let her alone. She's had enough. You can hardly blame her for her rebellion, after all. She has been kept in this castle under your strict supervision."

"That was, rather is, for her safety."

"Aro, surely you jest. Her safety is being threatened right now by you," Uncle Marcus mocks. "Besides, how can you blame her for not understanding the true scope of her talent?"

My father's aura changes from the red of anger to gray; meaning he is having a myriad of thoughts ranging from regret to understanding. "I agree, Marcus. She has had enough. I think she has learned her lesson, but since she can hide her true thoughts from me, I can't be positive. So I have a proposition for her to prove her loyalty to me."

My father's emotions are only centered on one thing at the moment—revenge. I always knew I would be used against the Cullens in some way or another, but knowing it and actually doing it are two totally different things. "I want Angel to join up with the Cullen coven and help me bring about their destruction."

"If she does this without question, what will you do for her?"

"I will set her free to live her life as she wishes."

So the cost of my freedom is to destroy a family of vampires― not a coven, but a family. Marcus walks over to me and places his arms around me for support, both physically and emotionally.

"Uncle Marcus?"

"My child, you must do this," he says gently. He is trying to coax me into accepting. I see the love he has for me reflected in his eyes. I can see his aura is a mixture of colors. He is sorry that Carlisle and his family must suffer, but I can sense he would rather it be them instead of me.

I can hear from his tone of voice that Father is serious. I try to conceal my discomfort, both from my beating and the idea of hurting others from Father and Mother, but I'm not successful. My father's aura becomes tinged in red again, and I cower against my uncle.

"You will not disobey me, Angel. You can hide your thoughts from me, so Edward Cullen shouldn't be too hard for you. If you fail to do this task I have given you, I will make sure you suffer the same fate Serena did."

My uncle starts to protest, but my father doesn't let him. "No, Marcus. I refuse to change my mind. Angel needs to prove to me that she deserves to be called daughter."

I know I have no choice other than agree. I say, "Yes, Father, I will do as you ask," almost as if I am an emotionless drone instead of a living, breathing woman.

Father and Mother leave my room, but Uncle Marcus remains with me. He washes my face tenderly with a washcloth and stays with me until I fall asleep.

My sleep is full of dreams of the Cullens. I see them all die, except for a select few, at my father's hands. I watch on in horror at what I have caused. I try to reconcile my feelings about them and why I even care if they live or die. But I know why. I have seen Carlisle Cullen's goodness through the eyes of others including Uncle Marcus.

Over time, I have learned how to study auras and know someone always leaves a part of themselves on those they have met. Carlisle's essence, a part of his aura, was left behind in Volterra. He is Stergone Benefico, and anyone who knows him agrees. Now I have been given the task to "bring him to justice" by the man I both love and hate. Carlisle is the kind of man I would choose for a father, not Aro. The idea of hurting such a beacon of love and understanding is distressing to me.

I spend the next week preparing for my journey. It amazes me that my first trip out of the castle will be to go to Forks, Washington. The Cullen family still live there, but Carlisle practices medicine in a Seattle hospital according to Father's intel.

My father maps out a cover story for me. I am a hybrid, which is obvious, and looking for others of my kind. I am to tell them I heard about Renesmee Cullen and became curious, so I came to Washington to meet her. Aro doesn't want the Cullens to know about him or my Volturi connection.

I am to gain their trust and any intel I can. I am expected to report back to my father everything I learn about his enemies. The more he preps me, the worse I feel about my part in this duplicity he has planned.

Finally, the day of my departure arrives. I try preparing myself, at least emotionally, to leave everything and everyone I know behind, but I am not sure I am successful. I am excited for a chance to leave, but I am also frightened. What if I fail in my mission? What then?

I try to reflect back on the past ten years of my life and recall my happiest times here. Most of my happy memories revolve around Marcus and time we spent together, but I do have happy memories of my father, too. Before I found out all the evil deeds he has committed in the name of progress, and some even after. One person, well now two, I won't miss leaving behind are Jane and Jayson. They have become mates, which doesn't surprise me at all. In the short time he has been in Volterra, I have read his aura. It's as black as Jane's, and unfortunately as my father's is.

"My dearest child, I shall miss you," Marcus says, forlornly. His aura is a light red and yellow. A darker red aura means anger usually, but Uncle's is a lighter shade of red. He is stressed ,and the yellow color means he is also cautious. I hate leaving him here alone with the rest of them.

"I'll miss you, too. So very much," I say with a lump in my throat.

"Will you not miss me?" Aro sneers. He is still angry with me for lying to him all these years and hasn't forgiven me. He views my deception as a personal transgression to him. Which I guess it was.

"Of course I will, Father." The lie slides across my tongue like silk. He may know about my ability, but he still can't get around it to hear my honest thoughts. No matter how hard he tries, too. He doesn't even try to read my mind anymore because he can only hear or see what I want him too. I smile and give him a kiss on his cold, hard face. I add, "You too, Mother," as an afterthought.

Since no one else can be protected from Edward's talent of mind-reading, I get to travel alone. The only problem I may have is Alice. No one knows if her ability to see the future will reveal anything about Aro's ultimate goal. Father instructs me to play on the fact her premonitions are only possibilities that may happen and not a definite thing. In other words, neither of us is to make a definite decision about the near future concerning the Cullen family.

Demetri and Felix take me to the airport for my flight. I know if I try to go somewhere other than where I am supposed to, Demetri will just track me down. I thought about all the scenarios for me to escape for the last week, and nothing I can think of ends well. As much as I dread this, I anticipate it, too.

The idea of meeting the man, the vampire, I have only had the pleasure of seeing through others is exciting. I hope he is everything I've imagined him to be. Reading auras from inanimate objects or second-hand is never as enlightening as it is first-hand.

During the flight, I am too keyed up to sleep, so I practice reading stranger's auras. This past week I have practiced hunting animals in order to fit in better with Carlisle's family. I never relished feeding from humans and try to avoid it as much as possible. If my father knew I wanted to be a vegetarian, he would have become suspicious of me. So I opted to go the traditional vampire route and fed from humans. It used to make me feel like I was a bad person but not anymore. I came to terms with my guilt for making a human die at my hands. I have always been, or at least pretended to be someone I'm not.

I turned off their emotions before they died at my hands. Maybe it was not the right thing to do, but definitely an easier thing for me and them. I persuaded Father to let me make the switch to animals with little argument, but his disgust with me was evident. Marcus was even a little revolted. Caius's hatred for me is even more intense now, and at long last, he can show it without dreading Aro's reaction.

The plane lands in Seattle and part one of my journey ends. Now I'm on to the next part. I hail a taxi as Demetri taught me to, and I ask the driver to take me to the nearest hotel.

I worry my blood-lust will be an issue, but I force myself to focus on the task at hand not the driver's blood coursing through his veins. I sit in the car reading his aura and I see his past unfold before me. He is a father of two small children and his wife died just last year. He is working as a cab driver while he is attending school. I can see his devotion to his children and the love he still has for his dead wife. For some reason his story tugs on my heart. I vow I will control any craving for his blood I may feel during my ride to the hotel, and I do. It is not as hard as I thought it would be. Without bloodthirsty vampires around influencing me with their feelings mine isn't a big issue. I give myself a lat pat on the back mentally for showing some restraint.

I arrive at a hotel, a rather nice one it seems, and I check in. I retire to my room to rest because tomorrow I plan on meeting Carlisle Cullen. I have to make sure I am ready to deceive him and his family.

I have been instructed not to call Father or anyone else in Volterra because Alice may see, and then the whole mission goes up in smoke. My father knows she watches his decisions, and he uses various methods to blind her. In this instance, he doesn't know where I am staying or anything about my trip. No one does. In reality, they don't need to however because they have Demetri, the Volterra bloodhound at their disposal. He will track my progress to make sure I stay on target.

The next day I wake up fresh and ready for my _meeting _with Carlisle Cullen. I decide I need to hunt before I face the Cullen family. I need to make sure all my wits are about me when I met the man face to face. In my mind, I have a great image of him. I just hope he lives up to expectations.


End file.
